Aphasia, Acquired
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of an online exercise program for community-dwelling individuals with aphasia, a language disorder resulting from brain damage. Physical activity, language, cognitive, and quality of life outcomes will be collected to assess potential effectiveness.
Detailed description
Approximately one-third of stroke survivors have aphasia, acquired language difficulty that affects the ability speak and understand others. However, despite documented benefits of interventions to promote physical activity (PA) after stroke, including improved health-related quality of life (QoL), social and emotional benefits, and improved cognition, individuals with aphasia are often excluded from this research due to their communication difficulties. This is particularly concerning, given that individuals with aphasia are at greater risk of social isolation and depression compared to stroke survivors without aphasia. Presently, limited research has been conducted that examines the effect of PA interventions in individuals with aphasia although preliminary findings suggest that benefits may exist across domains (health and disability). This study aims to better understand how PA affects the lives of individuals with aphasia. Given weekly tele-instruction in PA over 10 weeks, participants' levels of PA will be monitored for the duration of the study. Pre- and post-treatment measures of cognitive ability, QoL, and aphasia severity will be collected and analyzed to characterize intervention effects. The results of this study will provide insight into whether PA may be an important component of future aphasia treatment.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALOnline aphasia-adapted physical activity class
Online 50-minute physical activity sessions, two to three times weekly for 10-11 weeks. The activity instructions will be modified to be aphasia-friendly (simplified language, multimodality support).
Sponsors
California State University, East Bay
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Participants who elect to take part in the exercise intervention will be assigned to the intervention group, while those who do not will be assigned to the control group.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Presence of aphasia * Able to join exercise classes over Zoom
Exclusion criteria
* None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adherence Rates | During intervention (weeks 1-10) | Percent of classes attended |
| Retention | Post-intervention (week 10) | Percent of participants completing the intervention |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Participants' attitudes towards the intervention | Post-intervention (week 10) | Acceptability and themes as identified via qualitative interview |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement | During intervention (weeks 1-10) | Change in heart rate during exercise class, as measured using activity monitor |
| Language ability | Pre-intervention (week 0) and post intervention (week 10) | Change in Western Aphasia Battery-Revised Aphasia Quotient (minimum value:0, maximum value: 100, higher scores indicate a better outcome) |
| Sedentary behaviors | Pre-intervention (week 0) and post intervention (week 10) | Change in sitting and sleeping time, as measured using activity monitor |
| Cognition | Pre-intervention (week 0) and post intervention (week 10) | Change in Test of Non-Verbal Intelligence Percentile Rank (minimum score: 0, maximum score 100, higher scores indicate a better outcome) |
| Quality of Life (perceived) | Pre-intervention (week 0) and post intervention (week 10) | Change in Burden of Stroke Scale Total Transformed Score; minimum value 0; maximum value 100; higher scores indicate worse outcome |
| Physical Activity: Steps | Pre-intervention (week 0) and post intervention (week 10) | Change in steps per day, as measured using activity monitor |
| Physical Activity: Standing | Pre-intervention (week 0) and post intervention (week 10) | Change in time spent standing, as measured using activity monitor |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed